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Re: Nukes close, infant deaths go down - Tooth Fairy Project - NY Times
Unlike some Radsafers, my comments are quite printable, and I hope that they are
widely printed.
Many thanx for bringing this article to my attention. When I was growing up, in
Long Branch, NJ, the NY Times was probably one of the many advantages of living
in the NYC area. This is a well written and well balanced article, although
those who don't read beyond the headline may get the wrong impression.
I especially encourage you to look at the work of John Boice, who is quoted,
here. He is a classmate of mine, is arguably the best contemporary
epidemiologist, and has done a lot of work on this issue.
The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
It's not about dose, it's about trust.
Curies forever.
Bill Lipton
liptonw@dteenergy.com
Norman Cohen wrote:
> mailbox@gsenet.org wrote:
>
> > 020430
> >
> > GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS
> >
> > ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
> >
> > TABLE OF CONTENTS
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > {*} NUCLEAR POWER OPPONENTS CITE LINK TO INFANT DEATH RATES
> > :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
> >
> > NUCLEAR POWER OPPONENTS CITE LINK TO INFANT DEATH RATES
> >
> > Date: 30 Apr 2002
> > From: MerBenzRN@aol.com
> >
> > By Andrew C. Revkin, NY Times, April 30, 2002
> >
> > Antinuclear campaigners plan to announce today that a new study shows
> > that infant death rates downwind of eight American nuclear power
> > plants dropped significantly after they were shut down.
> >
> > Some plan to use the findings to support calls for closing the
> > nuclear reactors at Indian Point, the plant closest to New York City,
> > in Westchester County.
> >
> > But federal officials, some radiation experts and representatives of
> > the nuclear power industry said that there was no evidence to link
> > illness and proximity to nuclear plants and that minute, occasional
> > releases from such plants were much lower than natural radiation
> > levels.
> >
> > The new statistical study, which is being published in the next issue
> > of The Archives of Environmental Health, was conducted by a group of
> > scientists who for many years have purported to show a link between
> > mortality and illness and low levels of radiation from power plants,
> > bomb tests and other sources.
> >
> > But their past work has never been replicated by federal health
> > researchers, and the statistical analysis they used in some earlier
> > studies has been challenged by the National Cancer Institute.
> >
> > The study said the infant death rate in communities for two years
> > preceding the plant shutdowns averaged 8.44 deaths per 1,000 births
> > and, when all the mortality data for two years after the plant
> > shutdowns were combined, the infant mortality rate dropped to 7.01 per
> > 1,000 births.
> >
> > The difference was statistically significant, the authors said, and
> > the drop was greater than the general drop in infant death rates
> > around the country in recent years.
> >
> > The scientists, from the Radiation and Public Health Project, a
> > nonprofit group, defended their new findings and cited the need for
> > much more research.
> >
> > Joseph J. Mangano, a public health statistician and the national
> > coordinator for the group, said a statistical link does not prove a
> > cause and effect, but points to the need for more work.
> >
> > "A lot of things could affect infant deaths," he said. "The list is
> > literally endless. This doesn't mean we've proved anything beyond a
> > shadow of a doubt, but what I will say is we really need to do more
> > follow-up."
> >
> > Among other things, the study examined statistics from counties and
> > cities downwind of eight nuclear plants that shut down either for a
> > prolonged period or permanently - in Connecticut, Maine,
> > Massachusetts, California, Oregon, Colorado, Michigan and Wisconsin.
> >
> > Dr. John Boice Jr., who directed a 1991 National Cancer Institute
> > study of disease patterns around nuclear plants and other institutions
> > using radiation, said no link emerged.
> >
> > "There are so many other important things to worry about in terms of
> > radiation - like what are we doing to do with the waste and the
> > terrorism issue," he said last night.
> >
> > * * *
> >
> > Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company
> >
> > ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
> >
>
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